Mary Kay Ash

Founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics

Mary Kay Ash was a U.S. businesswoman and the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc. Born Mary Kathlyn Wagner in Hot Wells, Texas, Ash worked for several direct sales companies from the 1930s to the early 1960s. She achieved considerable success as a salesperson and trainer, but was frustrated by being passed over for promotions in favor of men. In 1963, she retired with the intention of writing a book assisting women in business. From this book a business plan emerged, and in September 1963, Ash and her son, Richard Rogers, founded Mary Kay Cosmetics with a $5,000 investment. The company originally operated from a storefront in Dallas and grew rapidly, especially after Ash was interviewed for CBS's 60 Minutes in 1979. Pink Cadillacs were famously awarded to top sales people and provided a highly visible sign of the company's success.

Ash received numerous honors from business groups, including the Horatio Alger Award. A long-time fundraiser for charities, she founded the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation to raise money to combat domestic violence and cancers affecting women. Ash served as Mary Kay Cosmetics' Chairman until 1987, when she was named Chairman Emeritus. She remained active in the company until she suffered a stroke in 1996. In 2001, Richard Rogers, was named CEO of Mary Kay Inc. At the time of Ash's death, Mary Kay Cosmetics had over 800,000 representatives in 37 countries, with total annual sales over $2 billion at retail.

Ash was widely respected for her unconventional approach to business. She considered the Golden Rule the founding principle of Mary Kay Cosmetics, and the company's marketing plan was designed to allow women to advance by helping others to succeed. She advocated "praising people to success," and her slogan "faith first, family second, career third" expressed her insistence that the people in her company to maintain a favorable balance between home life and work.